§***-,....                                          ....,-***§
£¤¤*-.....                                          .....-*¤¤£
§*-,......                                          ......,-*§
£¤***^--,.                                          .,--^***¤£
##£§¤*^-,.                                          .,-^*¤§£##
£§¤¤¤*^-,. in   the  endless  winter  day,  on  the .,-^*¤¤¤§£
###§¤*^-,. crystal white plains...  we trudge along .,-^*¤§###
£§*-......   the train tracks... themselves slowly  ......-*§£
£§**-,.... snowed over, in the  still  hours  since ....,-**§£
§¤*^,.....          the last supply train.          .....,^*¤§
£§¤**^,...                                          ...,^**¤§£
##£§¤*^-,.     bell-like sounds of the blinding     .,-^*¤§£##
##£§¤*^-,. ground. rifles  attached  to  our wrist, .,-^*¤§£##
#§§¤^,.... sharing in  our  bloodstream.  my husky, ....,^¤§§#
##£§¤*^-,.      my warm-coffee-in-cold-snow...      .,-^*¤§£##
##£§¤*^-,.                                          .,-^*¤§£##
§§¤^-,,... the  first  five  shots  you  can  spend ...,,-^¤§§
##£§¤*^-,. indiscriminately, they hurt but  deal no .,-^*¤§£##
###£§¤*-,. long time  damage  to the  shooter.  the .,-*¤§£###
£§§¤*-,... next five  you must spend  wisely,  they ...,-*¤§§£
§¤^^-,.... will  take days  to heal. the final five ....,-^^¤§
##£§¤*^-,. you    must    not    spend   at    all. .,-^*¤§£##
##£§¤*^-,.                                          .,-^*¤§£##
##£§¤*^-,. weeks earlier,  in the weak autumn dawn, .,-^*¤§£##
§¤*-...... in  the blue-gray  fog...  something  is ......-*¤§
##£§¤*^-,. burning  with  a  deep   crimson  flame, .,-^*¤§£##
##£§¤*^-,.       untameable by water or wind.       .,-^*¤§£##
#§§¤¤*^-,.                                          .,-^*¤¤§§#
##£§¤*^-,.                                          .,-^*¤§£##
§¤^-......                                          ......-^¤§
§§*^^^^-,.                                          .,-^^^^*§§
£¤^-,,....                                          ....,,-^¤£